Little secret
by AliceParrilla18
Summary: [Oneshot] AU, post 18 years after s6 : Robin has to figure out, why her mother is locked in cell. After a not nice talk with her aunt Regina, Robin has to talk with her again. A long-hidden secret comes to light. WARNING : major character death.


**A/N : Hi! This is my first fanfiction I ever posted and I'm a little scared, but I do hope yo will like it, though it's not so happy. I will be gratefull for every comment. Enjoy!**

The sound of her shoes tapping on the floor echoed in the hall. Robin was walking fast, she was really nervous. She was clenching her fists thinking about what happened. When she got a call from the sheriff she jumped to her feet and ran to the office, despite late hour. She was breathing normally now, but worrying thoughts were still running through her head.

Before she could reach the door of the office, a figure crossed her way, forcing her to stop in half a step. A woman with blond hair and bright green eyes shifted her weight form leg to leg and looked at the girl with worry painted on her face.

„Emma?" Robin asked quietly, tilting her head, „I came as fast as I could. What happened? Is my mother alright?"

Emma sighed and crossed her arms.

„She's safe, you don't have to worry about it" she said.

„So why is she here?"

„Let's say, that out of here she would be a threat to citizens of Storybrooke. I have no idea what plan she had, but fortunately it didn't work. Regina and I menaged to stop her at the last moment. If you want to know something more, go and ask her yourself. She was asking for you, that's why I called you."

She nodded her head slowly and put a strand of her long blond hair behind her ear, in that light looking darker than usual.

With a few steps she passed still standing Emma and pushed the office door open. When she came in she immediately felt such a well-known perfume smell. Biting her lower lip she came closer to the cell where the familiar figure was sitting.

„Mom?"

The woman raised her head up. She brushed her red curls away from her face and when she seen the girl, her face lightened with a wide smile. She stood up from the bed and moved closer to the bars standing on her way to freedom.

„Robin, my little peanut, you're here" she said with gentle voice, putting a hand on her daughter's cheek.

Robin smiled back gently and swallowed.

„Mom, what happened?" she started asking, worried, „Why did they lock you here? You have to tell me what you did so I could help you."

Face of the red haired woman became serious. She looked at the other side of her cell and shook her head.

„My sweet little girl, you know I'm not a person who I was anymore. I changed. But your aunt Regina still sees the source of all problems in me. She can't stand the truth, that she isn't the only one who got a second chanse."

For a moment, the girl was thinking about her mother's words in silence.

„So you didn't do anything bad?" she asked.

„Of course I didn't! What I could possibly do, my dear? You know that everything I care about is you. You are my happiness. As always, Emma and Regina judged me too quickly. None of them told me what it was actually about and before I knew, I landed here."

Robin gritted her teeth. What kind of justice is it, locking someone without proof of guilt? She belived her mother, she always did. She had do reason to think that she was lying to her. It was not the first time her mother was blamed for something she didn't do. It couldn't be like that anymore. She had to do something.

„Mom" she said after a moment with determination in her voice, „I'll take care of this. I'll figure something out and free you from here."

The woman looked at her with her big, blue eyes, and corners of her lips rised up.

„That's my girl. I knew you will do the right thing."

A cold, autumn air was playing with her hair, when she was walking down the street. Her nose was cold and her cheeks were red from icy wind, but she didn't care. Right now, her thoughts were cirlicng around more important thing.

She let out a breath holding in her lungs when the big, white building appeard in front of her. She walked by a rocky path and jumped three steps at once. She knocked at the door without hesistation and took once step back. She knew it was late, but she needed answers for her questions right now.

After few seconds, she could hear a movement and someone's steps on the other side. The porch lightened up with a smoll lamp above the door. The lock clicked and then the white door opened.

At the entrance stood the woman with hair dark as night and warm chocolate eyes. She was the same height as Robin, if not a little smaller. She was wearing a nightgown and a long cardigan on her shoulders. When she saw the girl she frowned and a small wrinke appeard on her forehead.

„Robin?" she asked quietly, „What are you doing here at this hour? Is evetything alright?"

Robin looked into her eyes, trying to read emotions of the small woman standing in front of her. Hovever, she didn't find anything but sincere suprice and care. Her face, covered by few wrinkles, seemed tired.

„Aunt Regina" she said after a moment, „I imagine I should be the one to ask this question."

Regina shifted her weight form leg to leg and leaned on the door-frame.

„I don't understand…" she shook her head.

„Me neither. I came here to ask, why my mother is locked in the cell for something she didn't do? What do you think she could do? Why you didn't listen to her first?"

The brunette sighed. She wrapped her cardigan tighter around herself and crossed her arms.

„Robin, I know it's hard for you", she started, „Zelena is your mother. It's not easy to think that someone you love might do something bad. But for your own good you should understand that soon. My sister isn't as innocent as she think she is. She has a lot on her consience."

„She's saying that she didn't do anything wrong" Robin interjected, „You don't have proofs of her guilt, so why are you prisoning her there?"

„Robin…"

„Och, please. You don't have to say anything more. I know exactly what this is about."

She turned back on her foot and was going to leave, but Regina's voice stopped her.

„And what do you think this is about? Do you really think that we're doing the wrong thing, protecting town and it's citizens?"

„I think that you're doing the wrong thing blaming for everything my mother" she said and clenched her fists, „She was right about you. You really see only the source of problems in her, don't you? But she is your sister, your blood. How can you be not ashamed? How can you treat her like that?"

Regina frowned. She took a step forward and raised her head in a gesture that stayed with her from times when she was a queen. Robin swallowed and raised her head, too.

„I think you crossed the line, Robin" the woman said after a moment, her voice became cold, „I know you're stressed, but hold your emotions in place, before you'll do or say something that you will regret. You're right, Zelena is my sister, whether I want it or not. She, you and me will always be a family. However, I won't be blind for your mother's actions that threaten us all. You shouldn't tolerate it, even in a family."

The girl laughed coldly and shook her head, setting in motion her long curls falling on her face.

„You're right, you know. We are a family. So that's why we should taking care of each other!" she screamed in anger, „In case you forgot, I don't have a father or a brother anymore, so she's the only one I have!"

It was too late to stop now. Regina's chocolate eyes opened wide. Robin knew that she hit the woman's most sensitive point and that it hurt her. She was too angry to care about it now.

„Mom was right. You're really so self-absorved that you blame for everything bad everyone but you. The truth is, you are not perfect. You have lot on your consience, too. It was you who ruined my family, you were the reason I had to grow up without a father and a brother. Stories my mother told me and photograps are the only things I have, and that is your fault. I didn't want to believe in this for so long, but it's too much, and now I finally see clearly. And don't even try to tell me that you know how I feel, that everything's gonna be alrignt. You know nothing. You don't know me or my mother, so leave us finally alone."

She was breathing fast. A vapor was coming out of her mouth, but she wasn't filling the cold. She was boiling inside with anger. She looked at the brunette.

Regina was standing still and looking at the girl in shock. Her mouth opened, her eyes darkened and filled with tears. She seemed completly broken and hurt. Slouching, she let her arms fall along her body, as if Robin's words were too much for her, and she couldn't take it on her back.

Robin knew that she hurt her really hard. Her father loved Regina, and she loved him, and that's why he died. He literally sacrificed his life for her, to save her from the bad man. Robin was too little to remember this day, but at her request her mother has told her that story many times.

Passing seconds seemed like enternity, when neither of them spoke first. Anger was still boiling in the girl, eclipsing compassion for the broken woman. Silence started to irritate her. She cleared her throat, put her hands in pockets of the light jacket she was wearing, and then tooke few steps back.

„I hope my mother will be home by tommorow's mornig" she said and turned away.

Regina broke herself from trance and blinked few times, cousing tears to fall down her cheeks. She raised her hand to stop her niece.

„Robin, sweetheart, I…"

Robin stopped suddenly and interjected her hard, clenching her fists again :

„Don't you dare calling me that. Ever again."

Not waiting for her aunt's reaction she turned and run away.

The next morning her mother didn't show up at home.

When the sky became dark, Robin decided to start a search. She was alarmed and worried, but she was trying to not to think about it. She was trying to imagine that it was only a game she loved to play when she was a little girl. She just has to count down to ten and look around, and then she will see her mom's red hair behind the tree and hug her tight, happy, that she won again.

She wasn't at the sheriff office. Emma told her that she spoke with Regina and at her request she let the woman out. Robin wasn't sure if Emma was telling the truth, but she decided to continue on her search.

She walked all Storybrooke, she spoke with everyone, she looked under every stone, but still she coulnd't find her. She was starting to worry seriously.

Passing her aunt's house, she tooke her phone from the jacket's pocket and picked her mother's number again. The only thing she get was annoying voice of the answering maschine.

She stopped and looked at the building, sighing. She didn't want to see her aunt, not after they yesterday's conversation, but she didn't have a choice. Only there she didn't check. She bit her lip and went through the gate.

She pressed the bell. She waited for several minutes, but nobody opened the door. It was silence, it seemed that nobody was inside. Anyway, she decided to try again. She knocked. Under the influence of the impact, the door opened wide in front of her. Only then she realised, that it was open all this time. She frowned. She knew her aunt enough to know, that she always locked it for a night. The fact that she left it open, didn't suit her. Robin went through the doorstep and come inside, wanting to check if there's everything alright.

„Hello? Is anyone here?" she called, but she heard only silence.

She knew every inch of this house by heart, so she didn't have to turn the light on to know where everything was standing. Wanting it or not, she had to tell that her aunt was taking care of her and bringing her to her house often. When Robin was little, she loved spending time with her and Henry. She spent here really good moments, and memories of them caused her to smile.

She was walking down the hall slowly, when suddenly she saw the light from the kitchen, and when she turned forward she felt a familiar scent. Her mother's perfume. So she was here recently.

She was near the kitchen. She didn't know why, but she felt that something was wrong. Common sence was telling her to come back and run as fast as possible, but natural curiosity forced her to go and see what's going on in there.

Robin came to the kitchen, the view in front of her totally shocked her. Covering her mouth with her hands, she barely stopped a scream.

There was such a chaos, as if a tornado had passed through the house. All the cabinets were opened and the chairs at the kitchen island were turned over. The floor was covered with broken dishes and pieces of glass from the broken window.

And in all that mess, in the puddle of blood, leaning on the wall, was barely sitting Regina.

Not knowing what she was exactly doing, Robin run to her aunt and kneeled next to her with fear in her eyes. The blood was everywhere. It was coming out from the deep wound in the woman's stomach and scratches on her entire body. Dark red contrasted on her pale as wall skin. Her chest was moving up and down very slowly and gently. When she looked up at the girl, her usual chocolate eyes seemed almost black.

„Robin…" she whispered and reach a hand towards the girl, breathing hard. Robin grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly.

„Aunt Regina, what… What happened?" she asked with trembling voice. The brunette's eyes opened wide and looked directly at her.

„Robin, you have to run awal from here" she said, although it was obvious that it costs her a lot of energy, „Zelena… I don't want her to do something to you, too."

For a moment Robin forgot how to breathe.

„She… She did this to you?" she asked, although she already knew the answer. The perfume. It was her mother who hurt her aunt. She really was still bad person. God, why was Robin so foolish and naive to believe that she changed? She looked at her aunt with tears in her eyes, „I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. If only I'd realise it earlier, if I wouldn't be so naive…"

„Shhh, it's not your fault, sweetheart. But now you have to do something for me."

„Right, I'll call 911…"

„No, honey. They won't help me, nobody will."

Few hot tears fell down Robin's cheeks.

„I…"

„It's okay, really. Don't worry about it. And now, I need you to listen to me."

The woman reached into her jeans pocket, her face contorted with a grimace of pain. With a trembling hand she took out a small silver key and put it in Robin's hands.

„Go to the attic" she said. The pain caused her body to tremble, „Knock three times in the wall where the warderobe is standing. There will appear the door, which you will open with this key."

„What is there?" whispered Robin. Suddenly, Regina started crying.

„Riley" she said through tears, „You have to take her away from here."

„But… Who is Riley?" Robin shooke her head, not understanding. The brunette's cries became more intense.

„My daughter."

„What?" Robin's eyes opened wide in shock. She didn't have time to think longer about what she just heard. Regina tooke her fece in her hands covered by blood, again. Speaking while crying costed her more and more energy.

„You have to… You have to take her away and hide with her in a safe place. Save your sister, Robin. I'm begging you, don't let Zelena hurt her!"

Crying, Robin nodded her head and placed her hands on her aunt's ones.

„Okay, I'll do it."

„Promise" still crying, Regina looked straight into the eyes of her niece, „Promise, that you won't let anything happen to my baby. She has to live. You both have."

„I promise you, aunt. I promise."

„Tell her, that mommy loves her very much. Tell her, that she has to be strong and that everything is going to be okay. She is going to be okay."

She didn't know what to say, so still crying she nodded her head again.

„You're so special, Robin. I always knew it. I always wanted what was best for you and I'm sorry I couldn't show you that better. I'm sorry that I couldn't save you, that I couldn't save Robin and that I let Roland go. I love you all and I will always love, and…"

Suddenly, Regina's eyes became empty, her arms fell down her body and her head fell on her shoulder. Her chest stopped moving.

Blood in Robin's veins froze.

„No…" she whispered weakly to herself, „No, no, no."

With beating heart she waited for her aunt to wake up, hug her and tell her that nothing bad happened. That it was all a nightmare, a bad dream. But minutes were passing and Robin still couldn't feel the woman's pulse.

She wrapped her arms around herself and started crying hysterically.

She didn't know how much time had passed. An hour, maybe more. Maybe all day.

When she calmed down enough to start breathing again, she decided to let go of her aunt's cold hand and stand up. Walking down the corridor again, she had to lean on the wall, otherwise she would fall on the floor. She reached the stairs and started going up.

Though Regina was dead now, Robin was going to keep the word she gave her.

She reached the attic and looked around. She was never here before, it was dark and she still had tears in her eyes, but despite that she could notice the warderobe standing on her left side. Except the old furniture, there was nothing else in here.

According to Regina's instructions, she came to the wall and knocked in it three times. Nothing happened at the beginning. Only after few moments a bright purple shine lightened the room. It blinded Robin for a second. When she looked at the wall again, she saw the door that appeared out of nowhere. She looked down at her hand squeezing the key and took a deep breath. She took a step forward, put the key in the lock and turned it, opening the mysterious door.

She held her breath for a moment. She expected a small, tight room, meanwhile before her eyes she had a large, modern apartment in a similar style to the rest of the house. On the other side of the corridor were another door, made of glass, that led to a part of the garden that Robin had never seen. She smiled gently to herself. The hiding spell. Regina knew what she was doing. Robin came in closing the door behind her and started to walk again.

„Mom, is that you?" She heard a voice. „Is everything alright?"

She stopped, not exactly knowing what she should do, and then the small figure came out of the other room.

The girl had long, straight, dark brown hair that fell on her shoulders. She was short, lower than Robin and Regina by a few centimeters. Like Robin, she was about eighteen. She was very pretty. Full, red lips. High cheekbones. A perfect nose. When Robin looked into her eyes, she couldn't help the feeling that she was looking in the mirror. The girl's eyes were big, blue and clear like the ocean, just like Robin and her father's.

The girl became pale and her eyes opened wide in fear.

„Who… Who are you?"

Robin took a step back to not scare the girl even more and swallowed.

„My name is Robin. Robin Hood. I'm your sister, Riley."

The girl flinched at the sound of Robin's name. She shook her head, not understanding.

„I have no idea how you know my name, who you are or telling the truth" she said after a moment, still standing back keeping a safe distance, „But my mom is the only one who is allowed to be here. Where is she?"

Robin bit her lower lip. What she was supposed to tell her?

„Where is my mom?" Riley asked again with worry in her blue eyes. Robin noticed that the necklace that was around her neck hung the same key as the one openning the hidden door. Robin stepped from foot to foot and wiped away the tears that began to run down her cheeks again.

„Your mom sent me here" she said quietly, „I'm supposed to take care of you. Your mom… She…"

The voice tightened in her throat. Riley held her breath and bit her lower lip, just as Robin always did. Blue eyes of the brunette filled with tears.

„She said that no one will ever find me here" she whispered, more to herself than to Robin, „That I will be safe here. That she will not let anyone here, unless…" She paused for a moment, and when she spoke again, she looked straight into Robin's eyes. „She's dead, isn't she?"

Robin didn't know what to say or how to behave. She knew about the existence of her sister for several hours and didn't have enough time to think about everything that had happened. Her reaction, however, was clearly enough for Riley. The girl began to cry, sliding down the wall. She was crying for a long time, and Robin was standing in silence a few meters away from her, not daring to move even a millimeter.

After some time, which seemed like eternity to them boyh, Riley fell silent. She rocked back and forth for a moment in her arms, then wiped her face with her hands and slowly got to her feet. She took a few steps toward Robin and looked at her. There was no longer any distrust in her eyes, only pain and hurt.

„I want to see her" she said quietly with trembling voice, „I want to say goodbye."

Robin nodded and without a word turned to the door. She came back to the attic and after a moment she heard Riley's footsteps behind her. They went down. Robin did not know if she could go in there again and look at her aunt, but she had to pull herself together. For Riley.

When they entered the kitchen, it was very cold there, but nothing else changed. All the time there was a huge mess, a broken window, and Regina, in a pool of dark blood.

Riley's scream was so full of pain that Robin knew it would be haunting her for the rest of her life. The brunette ran to her mother with tears and buried her face in the bend of her neck. Looking at this, Robin could see now how much Riley was similar to Regina.

After a few minutes, Riley stopped crying, and moved away gently from her mother. She held out a trembling hand and carefully closed Regina's eyes. Robin swallowed the bump in her throat.

„She wanted me to tell you to be strong" she said, „She said that everything is goin to be okay. And that she loves you very much."

She didn't know if Riley heard her, but she didn't speak again. Both were silent for a few next moments.

„When I'm sad, mom always hugs me" Riley said, never taking her eyes off Regina, „It always helps me. Can you hug me, Robin?"

The girl's question made her confused and she needed a moment to understand what she had asked for. She took a deep breath and slowly approached Riley, trying not to look at Regina.

She kneeled beside her and for a moment did not move, waiting for the brunette's reaction. The girl, however, remained still, so Robin did what she asked for, shyly surrounding her with her arms. Riley leaned back gratefully.

They were both rocking in the rhythm of their breaths and remained on the floor next to Regina for long hours, gathering thoughts and strength to face the coming day.

 _Epilogue :_

In the meantime, when Robin appeared at Regina's house, Emma, Hook, David and Mary Margaret, with Gold's help, defeated Zelena once and for all, and that she would not threaten the town any more, tooke awal her magic and sent her back to Oz. Robin told the family about everything and introduced Riley, who was safe now. Despite the surprise that Regina managed to hide the child for so long, everyone loved Riley and took care of her. Riley and Robin became true friends and sisters and lived together with Henry and his family in New York. Riley, just like Robin, missed her mother and home, but her new life was good and she began to like the fact, that her existence was no longer _a little secret._

 **Disclaimer : Not mine! All characters (except Riley) belongs to writers od Once Upon A Time.**


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